Hawaii faces another tropical threat one week after Hurricane Lala
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Hawaii faces another threat from future Tropical Storm Moke. It could bring more rain to the flood ravaged Big Island.

Jennifer GrayMiriam Guthrie
ByJennifer GrayandMiriam Guthrie
3 hours agoUpdated: August 20, 2026, 6:31 am EDTPublished: August 19, 2026, 12:00 am EDT

Another tropical threat takes aim at Hawaii

As Hawaii continues to clean up after Hurricane Lala, the island chain is bracing for a future Tropical Storm Moke that could follow a similar path.

(MORE: Hurricane Lala cleanup begins in Hawaii, 100 Big Island homes damaged)

The National Hurricane Center is watching another area in the Pacific that is likely to develop into a tropical depression on Thursday as it moves towards the islands.

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Where is the system right now?

This area of low pressure and showers, also known as Invest 90E, is well southeast of Hawaii.

However, the system is entering a more favorable environment and will continue to develop. Since it has moved west of 140 degrees West longitude, it will get the next Central Pacific name, which is "Moke", when it becomes a tropical storm.

(MORE: What tropical terms mean)

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What is the forecast?

Right now there’s still some spread on the forecast models, which is common this far out.

As the map below shows, some models take the track of Moke well south of the islands, while others take a closer track, similar to Lala. This closer track could lead to significant impacts, as we saw last weekend with Lala.

The timing of Moke's closest approach to the Big Island appears to be Sunday, after which it moves south of the rest of the island chain Monday.

Moke may have to battle some wind shear, and that could keep its wind intensity in check as either a tropical storm or, at most, a Category 1 hurricane until it makes its closest pass to Hawaii.

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What are the threats to Hawaii?

It’s still too early to know the exact impacts this next system will have on Hawaii, but here are the two possible scenarios. 

Scenario 1: The best-case scenario is that Moke's center tracks too far south for significant impacts. The islands could still experience some locally heavy rain, wind and rough surf; however, the impacts would be lower. 

Scenario 2: The storm takes a similar track as Lala, either just south of the Big Island or over the island itself with more heavy rain, strong winds and pounding surf. This scenario would be a double whammy for the Big Island, which is still trying to recover from Lala's inundating rain. 

Again, it’s too soon to pinpoint the amount of rain that will fall with this next system and the strength of winds that could be felt. 

Hurricane Hunters are currently planning to fly into the system on Friday. 

The bottom line is to check back often for details, and we will keep you informed with the latest information on the forecast track and impacts. 

If you live in Hawaii or plan to visit within the next week, make sure you make preparations now in case this becomes a bigger threat. 

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